Training in Israel for Homeland Security

Federal, State and local Law Enforcement Agencies from the US as well as Fortune 500 Security executives travel to Israel – a trip report .

 

By Henry Morgenstern

 

President

Security Solutions International (SSI)

www.securitysolutionsint.com

Security Solutions International is the leading national training company for Homeland Security from awareness training for first responders, to hospital and medical response and even helicopter and marine emergency response to acts of terror. SSI is the first private training company to organize Homeland Security training trips to Israel.

 

 

              

What did they learn about Israel’s approach to Homeland Security?

 

The first training day after arrival

 

After recovering from the 12 hour direct flight to Tel Aviv, the men woke up to and started out with a visit to learn about how Israel defends its critical infrastructure. The Ashquelon Rottenberg power plant supplies 1/5th of Israel’s electricity. But it is also about two kilometers from the Gaza strip – very hostile Palestinian territory. Subject to missile attacks with improvised “Kassam” missiles, the men were treated to a lecture on how the plant defends itself.

 

The reality was that the participants had already seen how the well-known Israeli security “Circles”. Israel has taken an instinctive approach to security based on a long running conflict and on the maxim that you must know your enemy. The approach to security begins with the outer circle or deep intelligence network that is immediately accessible to all forces serving Homeland Security. It then moves into the second circle which involves the many forces that are involved in responding to an incident and their tight coordination but the main response for this is the Israel Police and EMS, EMT forces. However, on any specific target, the person responsible – in this case the Head of Security for the plant Mr. Joseph Paran, is ultimately the person who calls the shots in his facility.  Finally, they learning about other security circles surrounding this plant and how despite the tight security, they are able to move employees in and out efficiently. Aside from protecting the plan they must also be responsible for employee screening and assuring no one gets in that is not authorized.

 

Without going into the specifics, the participants learned how the facility is constantly monitoring its security arrangements including Red Team “attacks” on everything from car pools carrying workers to the defensive ring around the facility.

 

The feature of the first day’s training was undoubtedly the lecture on Suicide Terror. They heard a real expert, Mr. Sam Levy, point out to them how they had the privilege as US law enforcement to build a counter terror array while they were not subject to constant attacks – a much harder mission. Levy drilled into them that their first goal was to think like a terrorist. One of the exercises involved dividing the men into teams to do surveillance on the Hotel we were staying in to decide if, how and when it would be favorable to mount an attack on the Hotel. Using the lessons learned the men went out and acted like terrorists. For the remainder of the trip, they had their awareness acute awareness of danger – something they had not come with. Levy also drilled home the need to regard terrorists as a cunning, brave and worthy enemy. In this light, his exhortations to forgo political correctness in favor of “offensive intelligence” were very positively accepted by the members of the mission.

 

They all came away with the Israel’s concept of finding the bomber, and his support network rather than using the US approach that attempts to find the weapon and does little to look for the bomber. In Israel they believe that if you find the bomber you will automatically find the bomber while the reverse it not true.

Day 2

 

Haifa’s Port is Israel’s largest and has an impressive Security set-up. From the dogs used at the entrance to the Port, to the mechanism used for checking ships and cargo, the men saw the inside picture of how these Ports, that are constantly under attacks, manage to defend this critical area.  Again, it was driven home that Israel is not “fishing for terrorists but hunting them down”

 

Practical Application

 

No counter terror training would be complete without practical application. The participants were taken to the Security Training Center at Caesaria. In the sweltering heat that is Israel in July, the men were put through their paces learning about Krav Maga from three experts from the International Krav Maga training center. Although serving Police Officers know something about hand to hand combat, this was the pure very

 

aggressive form of self defense that is taught to everyone in the Israel Defense Forces. They were shown how to handle an armed suicide terrorist – including the practical advice that trying to bring one down without a deadly accurate head-shot is not recommended – and learned exactly how and when a physical approach must be used. For example, in Israel, there has been no one killed by accident as happened in London after the attacks. And a few terrorists have been stopped without being shot by vigilant security professionals.

 

 

Shooting Israeli Style

 

The idea that you can take careful aim in a terror situation was immediately dislodged from the group’s thinking by former members of the Israel Counter Terror units that had come to show the very basics of the Israeli Instinctive Shooting. In addition, the men had a chance to use the Israeli Corner Shot which is useful for shooting around a corner as it names implies.

 

Most of the men really enjoyed the shooting.  Not everyone thought this training was the valuable:

 

“The firearms training seemed very good and emphasized “point shooting” and quickly getting rounds on target.  However, it did not appear to be significantly different, and certainly not better, than firearms training conducted at most American academies.  The control tactics training we observed was built around an Israeli martial arts style called Krav Maga.  Again, it was very similar to the training provided at many American academies in technique and rigor. 

 

Where the program was strongest was in the areas in which Israeli police and military have unique experiences and insights… suicide bombings, car bombings and terrorism generally.  In this area there is no substitute for the lessons they have learned through painful experience.  Israel is a nation that views itself as at war and is in a constant state of vigilance.  Yet daily life goes on amazingly unaffected.

 

 

The day’s highlight was the evening lecture by Brigadier General Dubi Yung who has been at the scene of every major terror attack over the past five years. As commander of the Special Ops units for the Israeli Police, the men were amazed that with the Games in progress, a controversial pull-out from Gaza causing internal dissent, and the generally prevalent threat of terror, the General was able to show up very calmly and take time to speak to them about his experiences.

 

If you are thinking why Israel?

Day 3

 

Not everyone agrees that you can go to a foreign country and learn from this how better to defend the USA. Indeed, many of the men that applied to get funding were turned down, despite the fact that they are in critical Homeland Security positions, because their decision makers felt that could be better spent.

 

But in the wake of the London Bombings, none of the participants that made it through the funding maze and were now heading for Israel had these doubts. Leaving just one day after the bombings in London, from Newark airport, the members of the Training in Israel mission were on their way to more than they bargained for.

 

On the 3rd day of the training mission, it was brought home with brutal clarity why visit Israel to learn about Homeland Security. After a full day in Jerusalem that included a visit with the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Israeli Knesset, Itzhak Shadar, “Yasco” a legendary Israeli Security character with years in the Mossad and the Israel Security Agency behind him, they also were hosted for lunch by the Ministry of Tourism and were given a review of the defensive measures instituted in Israel’s Government buildings. The men had completed a leisurely afternoon around the magical, walled City of Jerusalem. They visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site of the burial place of Jesus and had learned how the ancient City of Jerusalem has spread its original boundaries and the many layers of History that are found there. The mood was high as the men returned to the bus to begin the journey back to Tel Aviv via a popular Arab restaurant in an Arab village outside Jerusalem named Abu Gosh, well known for its open air and beautiful eating spots.

 

Just as we were leaving the Old City, I learned from our two armed escorts, members of the Israel Security Agency, who had been notified on their ever present beepers that there had been a suicide terror attack in Netanya, at a shopping mall that has been attacked a few times in the past. This attack came after months that Israel had managed to stop the many attacks mounted against its population. The last successful attacks had been in February of 2005.

 

The very next morning, the men were able to review the security arrangements for the Maccabiah Games, Israel’s Olympic games and the 3rd largest sporting event in the world with more than 30,000 participants and team members attending. At an impromptu forum set-up with Chief Superintendent Eli Aroussi, the representative of the Israel Police’s Chief, and Mr. Moshe Duvedevany, head of security for the games, exactly how this had affected them. In addition, the men were able to learn all the inside details, many of which had not yet even been released to the Press, on the attack, where it had come from and how it had been conducted. They were able to question these officials at length about the very quick Israeli response – meaning that several hours after the attack, the scene had been returned to “normal” and arrests had already been made. This led one of the participants, from a University Police Department to write in his trip report:

 

"The training is truly ahead of its time and most law enforcement agencies in the country are behind the curve on this.

To give you an idea of agencies that send their staff to this training, also in attendance were the Chief and Division Chief of the Counter Terrorism bureau for the DHS at FLETC, personnel from Atlanta P.D., several muncipal police chiefs, supervisors and patrol officers from many municipal and state law enforcement agencies from around the nation....

SSI  is clearly the innovative leader in this type of training. This caliber of training and information is offered by no else at this time. There are other companies that claim to have classes taught by Israeli security personnel, but let me assure you, that everyone in Israel is "Security personnel" everyone serving in the army.

The senior staff at SSI has a special relationship built over time that allows access to the right people within the Israeli Security and Intelligence community.. I highly recommend this training...."

 

What follows is a brief set of the highlights of the trip. Days were long and frequently exceeded 12 hours of visits, lectures and practical training.

 

 

Day 4

 

The fourth day featured two interesting lectures apart from the already mentioned visit to the security headquarters of the Maccabiah games. The first was a lecture on VBIED’s and the second on School Safety.

Again the men heard how improvisational the enemy with the use of explosives and also learned how a senior operative had disobeyed one of the fundamental rules of personal security and had made a habit of stopping at a market to buy some fresh fruit on his way home. This was enough time to hide a charge under his car and arrange for it to be detonated by wire as he pulled away from his parking space. The presenter showed everyone how to sweep a vehicle, keeping in mind force safety while doing so and what signs to look for.

 

The lecture on School Safety was given by the Chief Security Officer for Israel’s School System, Ofer Tal-Shachar. He explained how disappointed he had been that only 5000 school teachers had completed optional training and were armed – a concept the US audience found indicative of how Israel embraces their security concept. School safety in Israel is not a theoretical issue. The very first, and last major attack occurred in Maalot during the 1970’s when PLO men took over a school shooting the children indiscriminately after holding them hostage.

 

Day 5

 

Israel’s security establishment, like any other country has those moments it would rather not remember. One of the these was the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister, Itzhak Rabin in 1995. We were taken to the site of the Rabin assignation and shown the exact reasons for the failure while a member of the Prime Minister’s protection force explained what has been done since.

 

A memorable visit to one of Israel’s largest buildings and malls – the Azriely Center – and an excellent lecture on aviation, by Colonel Moti Francisof the ISA completed a very full day.

 

In the evening, the Israel Ministry of Tourism invited all participants out to dinner at a very beautiful restaurant in the old City of Jafo in honor of the members of US Law Enforcement.

 

On the final day, a tour of the Golan Heights and some of the highlights of the 1973 war were part of a day that included seeing the Fence dividing Israel from the West Bank, a tour of Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee’s Christian sites and as usual, great food.

 

A lot was learned. A lot experienced. But perhaps one of the greatest surprises the men got was how life in Israel is surprisingly safe and lots of fun, despite the tight security and the tense terror situation. Most found Israel safer than their own cities. Many are already booking vacations there for next year.

 

Here is what one of the participants wrote about whether or not this trip was justified:

 

“There is still much to be learned from the experiences of others in dealing with terrorism and Israel probably has more experience than any nation.  It seems reasonable to support opportunities for American law enforcement to learn from credible experience.”